Joe Arpaio’s legacy in the balance with lawsuit outcome

When historians look back on Joe Arpaio’s legacy as Maricopa County sheriff, one thing they are likely to weigh heavily is the outcome of a 4 1/2-year-old racial-profiling lawsuit that will finally be heard in a federal courthouse in Phoenix this month.

The case alleges that the Sheriff’s Office engaged in institutional discrimination against Latinos when it embarked on what has become the defining mission of Arpaio’s 19-year tenure: immigration enforcement. Over the past six years, Arpaio has made it his hallmark, but his efforts have been met by accusations — by citizens, activists and the U.S. Justice Department — that his agency has engaged in racial profiling and discrimination.

The class-action suit marks the first opportunity for those claims to be put to a legal test. A U.S. district judge’s ruling in the matter will determine for the record whether it is possible for a local law-enforcement agency to serve as immigration cop without racially profiling.